Sewing-machine.



Patented Dec.'18,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- Wmmv/M L. E. TOPHAM.

SEWING MACHINE. APPucAnoN HLED Nov. e. 1915.

1,250,389. Patented De@.18,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

unirsi) sacarse rerun *Antics-,

t' monnaies n, 'Torrini/1, on sWAiviBsooTT,'ii/ressaenusnrss, assiettes Thomsen 1 `sp1-.ton MAcnINnRYcoi/iran; on na'rnnson; new annee-v ",jaooaloaarrou on Yofthe invention, :such as willenableothers makeand use the same. Y I

The present invention relates to sewing t NEW .'Innsnir;V v

.gewinn-:anonime f j Application sled November e, :119155. semina eases.

To all whom'it .may concern; Y v Y Be it known that I, LAnRENcE E. TorHAM, fal-.citizen-of the United StatesLresiding at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SewingfMas chinos; and I do hereby declare the folljovw ing'to be a full, clear, and exactdescript-ion skilled in theY art to which it appertains t yin cac'hines and more particularly-to mechafeeding'movement." A further object Vof the nism embodied in such machines yfor actuatf ingthe awl or needle y The present invention is applied partiellr larly to' .a sewing machine of :thcftype Shown and' described inthe patent to ,Topham' No; 1,170,022, dated February 1, 1916. This mae chine comprises amstraight needle and awl, and COperating instrumentalities constructed and operating toformwalockstitch. In this typel of machine the awl is 4rst depressed to enter the Workand is then moved laterally to feed the Work across a stationaryl Work support. `jDuringthe Vcontinuation of the feed movement thepressure of the Work upon the support tends to increase, causing the Work to bind unless provision is madeY for relieving the plessure. n A

One object'of the present invention'is to actuate the aWl in a path which shall insure the proper feeding of the Work Without Calls-1 ing "an undue pressure of the work :against the support during the continuation 'of the vinvention is ,to provide an improved form of l,this type;

actuating mechanism for the aWl which is simple and efhcient in its construction'and which may be Operated. eflcienilyqat the high. rate ofspeed essential in `machines of "With the 'above Objects in view a feature the invention consists in vvthe provision in 'a sewingv machine having an .aWl and needle of actuating mechanism for the awl includ,

ing a krock shaft, 'a continuously rotatedv crank, a link operatively .connecting the rock;

y shaft and crank,4 and cani acting; on the i linkfto modify the movement imparted' by the rotating crank. 1

It will be understood that although the preferred embodiment of the invelnzion-com` templates the provision of mechanism for actuating the awl, certain features of the sectional Vview" of V"portion f of the mecha-vr niechailism in their broaderaspects ymay be ladvantageously embodied in needle actuating mechanism.V Y y VStill further"featurespfthe invention 'consist in certain novel featuiesof constructionticombinations 'andV arrangements of scription---Y A Y .A p Y g :In 'the .accompanyingv Vdrawings illustrating the preferred' form` of the *invention lldiguxfe [l is' a front-'elevation of asniachme p t embodymg the features ofthe invention 1n their' `preferred formf; Fig-2 'is vert-ical nisniglig.` 31is 'a detail illustrating a plan' vieiv'of the aWlv feedzmec'hanisn; 'Figi 4 is f 'I a side elevation .partly in'csection" of the mechanism shown r`in FigQB Figo is a cross section taken'fupon the line 5-5 lof Fig. 45'@ and Fig. Gis adiag'rammatic view villustrating graphically in'full linesthe paths'of theneedleland awlf accordingjto the present invention and in dotted'lines'the paths of the f partel hereinafter described and claimechfhe f :advantages of'ivhich` Will'be vobvious to those f SkilledV in the from thexvfolloW-ing 'de-4V needle and aivl in the machine'illustrated in j l ated Vto lfeedthe Work therequisite distance l across the ivo-rk support' after 'which 'thefaxvl lsretracted Ato disengage :1t fromjt'he Werkt` The awl is conveniently secured tothelower etl endof an ayvl -bar V10Y vvhichis slidingly su'pported infa carrier- 12 hung ,from "parallel" Y connected 'With'the usual actuating mecha.-l

supporting links 13- and x14. The linkrl 4is nisin to impart a lateral movement to the carrier and causethel awlfto feed thefivork, lr u,

Thevertical position ofthezawlis determined by'the position of. the Aaivl `bai." inde-V pendently of the vertical positi'onof the car-V rier.v To this end the avvl barY isconnected through a link'1'5to a rocker arm 16 secured t to the end of a rock shaft 17 journaled in the'` machine frame. The rock shaft is oscillated 'clearly in Fig. 3.

from a continuously-rotated crank shaft 19 through a crank pin 20 secured to the rock shaft and a link 21 operatively connecting the rock shaft 17 with the crank shaft 19. In the machine described in the application above referred to the rock shaft for the awl is operated directly from the crank shaft through the link 21 to cause the awl to descend into eneagement with the work, to remain in its depressed position during the feeding movement, and to finally elevate the awl out of engagement with the work at the completion of the feeding movement. Vith this construction the elevation of the awl with relation to the work support, as shown clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings, is sub` stantially the same at the commencement and termination of the feeding movement. The awl in piercing the work compresses it and thereafter the work tends to expand, causing it to bind upon the 'work support during the continuation of the feed movement. In order to obviate the binding of the work the present invention contemplates the gradual elevation of the awl during the feeding movement to relieve the pressure of the work upon .the support without disengaging the awl from the work. As shown clearly in Fig. 6, the path of the awl Vis inclined slightly to the surface of the work support extending gradually from the lowest position at the commencement of the feeding movement to a slightly elevated position at the completion of the feeding movement. In order to cause the movement ofthe awl in the above described path while retaining the mechanical advantages of the crank actuatedmechanism a cam is arranged to act on the connecting link to modify the action of the crank and the consequent path of movement of the awl imparted thereby. To this end, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, the link 21 is connected with a crank pin 26 through a slide block 27 carried bythe crank pin and moving in a longitudinal slot 28 formed in the end of the link. The crank pin is secured in the enlarged end of a second crank 25. I/Vith this construction Vthe effective length of the crank for operating the link 21 is formed bythe off-set of the crank 26 from thel shaft 19. The movement of the link 21 is modiiied by a cam 24 rigidly mounted Vupon the outer end of the crank 25 and having the periphery embraced by oppositely disposed flanges 29 and 30 formed upon the Vend of the link 21, as shown With this construction the oscillatory movement imparted to the link 21 by the crank pin 26 is modified by the cam 24 to impart the proper vertical movements to the awl. A further advantage in connection with Vthe improved type of awl Copies af this patent may be obtained for than with the simple crank operated mechanism, permitting the earlier advance of the needle through the workand in consequence affording more time for other portions of the cycle of stitch forming operations.

IVliile it-is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement shown and describedfit will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far asspecified in the claims, and may bey changed or modifiedY without departing from the broader features of the invention.

' The invention having been described, what is claimed isg- Y Y 1.A A sewing machiney comprising an awl, a needle, a work support, and actuating mechanism for the awl including a continuously rotated crank and a cam for modifying the movements imparted to the awl by the crank during the feeding movement.

2,.V A sewing machine comprising stitch forming instrumentalities including a needle and awl and actuating mechanism for one of the in strumentalities including a rock shaft, a continuously'rotated crank, a link operatively connecting the rockv shaft and crank, and a cam acting on the link to modify the movement imparted tothe link by the crank.

8. A sewing machine comprising an awl, a Vrock shaft, connections between the awl and rock shaft, a continuously lrotated crank, a link operatively'connecting the rock shaft and crank, and a cam connected to the crank and acting on the' link for modifying the movement imparted to the link bv the crank.

4. A sewing machine'comprising an awl, a rock shaft, connections between the awl and rock shaft, a continuously rotated crank, a cam connected to the crank, a link con-l nected with the rock shaft and having a slotted end, a slide block secured to the crank and received in the slotted end,and a pair of oppositely disposed iianges secured to the link and embracing the periphery of the cam.-

5. A sewing ymachine carrier', an awl bar slidingly supported in the carrier, an awl secured to the bar, a pair of parallel linksV supporting the carrier, means for oscillatingthe links to vmove'the carrier laterally, a rock -shaft connected to the awl bar, a continuously rotated crank shaft, a link connecting the crank shaft and rock shaft, and a modify the motionimparted by the cra-nk.

VLAURENCE nrrorHAM.

comprising an awl Y of parts 

